A Conversation with the Mann Author:John Ridley John Ridley's bestselling novel of an aspiring black comic's rise to near-fame and fortune during the Rat Pack era is now in paperback. "What do you want?" "I want the Ed Sullivan Show." At the dawn of the Civil Rights movement, like a lot of black Americans, comedian Jackie Mann wanted to be somebody. And for him there was only one way to achie... more »ve that: to make it big. Make it, no matter the cost: friends, family, one's own self-esteem and self-respect. This is the story of a young man's journey from Harlem to stardom, a story of Hollywood royalty, New York glitteratti, Vegas mafiosi, Northern bigotry, and Southern racism. This is a story of love, honor, betrayal, and redemption; of fame bought and paid for by any means necessary. It is the story of one man's desire and an entire race's demands, and the incredible moment when the two came together as one. This is the story of Jackie Mann.« less
Ridley has a knack for creating protagonists that are hard to root for, and Jackie Mann is another example of the realism Ridley injects into his work. No superheroes or perfect imaginings of humanity, just a man's story, ambitions and flaws.